Hammer for holding and driving tacks



(No Mode l.)

J; W. NIEBEL. HAMMER FOR HOLDING AND DRIVING TAOKS, 8w.

Patented Aug. 5, 13-84.

1.7V V'EN TOE M MM ZZ M .filttorney WITNESSES I UNITED STATES JOHN W. NIEBEL,

PATENT Errors.

on TIFFIN, OHIO.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 303,230, dated August 5, 1884.

Application filed June 18, 1884.

To all whom it may concern.- I

7 Be it known that I, JOHN W. NIEBEL, a citizen of the United States, residing at 'l iflin, in the county of Seneca and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hammers or Tools for Driving Nails, Tacks, or Spikes, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to improvements in hammers, and is designed to produce an implement that shall obviate the necessity of holding a tack or nail to be driven in the hand, and't-hus prevent smashed fingers.

The improvement consists in a tack or nail holding device situated in the head of a hanr incr.

In describing the device reference will be had to the annexed drawings, in which Fig-- ure 1 represents a perspective of the hammer, and Fig. 2 a plan view of the head of the same.

A designates the head of ahanimer. In the back of the head is a slot, 13, rectangular in general shape, and a little to one side of the center. Within this slot is adapted to play the free curved end of a flat spring, 0. The slot 13 opens into a recess, D, deeper than the said slot, and extending through the greater part of the width of the head, forming, in com 0 junction with the slot B, a shoulder, E, against one edge of which the spring 0 normally rests, and against which the shank of a tack or nail is pressed by the spring preparatory to driving the said tack or nail, the head projecting into the recess D, the farther side of the same preventing too much longitudinal movement of the tack when driven. One end of the spring is fixed in the head, and is allowed (No model.)

sufficient play in its free end by the angular slot or recess F.

It is evident that a tack placed in the head, as shown in Fig. 2, may be started easily by a light blow, and then being pulled away from the tack in a direction parallel with the plane of the handle and the head reversed, the said tack or nail be driven home. As the rack is not held when. driven, the fingers escape injury, and the consequent evils attending such an accident are obviated.

Having described the device, what I claim 1s 1. A hammer having a head provided near one end with a lateral recess for holding a nail head, a slot leading into the said recess, a shoulder formed by the said slot and recess, and a spring having a restricted lateral play in the slot, the said spring holding the shank of a nail or tack against the shoulder while the same is being started.

2. A hammer having a head provided near one end with a lateral recess for receiving the nail-head, a slot leading into the said recess, a shoulder formed by the said slot and recess, an angular recess leading from the lateral recess into the body of the head, and a flat nietallic spring secured in the said angular recess, and having its free end slightly curved, the said end having lateral play in the slot in the end of the hammer-head, the parts operating substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN W. NIEBEL.

Vitnesses A. G. Bassoon, H. F. WODNAN. 

